Black tiger safari to come up in Odisha’s Baripada soon

Odisha is all set to set up a melanistic (black) tiger safari in Baripada under the Mayurbhanj district very soon and preparation in this regard has already started in full swing, informed Odisha Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) Susanta Nanda on Wednesday.

According to Nanda, the Central Zoo Authority of India (CZAOI) has already given its nod in this regard and permission from the Supreme Court is awaited.

“Work for melanistic (black) tiger safari will start very soon. As many as four melanistic tigers from Nandankanan Zoo and another tiger with a melanism gene will be kept in this black tiger safari. We will not release any melanistic tiger from the wild in the safari. Target has been set to increase the number of melanistic tigers in this way,” said PCCF Susanta Nanda.

Also Read | Odisha Home to 696 Leopards, Reveals Census Report

“Preparation in this regard has been going on in full swing. Some work related to melanistic (black) tiger safari has already started. Work for setting up a treatment centre to provide treatment to wild animals has also started. We have already got permission from CZAOI in this regard and permission from the Supreme Court is awaited. We are hopeful that it will start very soon,” he added.